Self-refrigerating and heating food containers and method for same

ABSTRACT

A self heating or cooling container having in one embodiment two separable sections of the container, one for enclosing a cooling or heating chemical and the other for enclosing the product to be cooled or heated, and in another embodiment a cooling or heating section within the product section. The section for enclosing the coolant or heating agent has a conical portion and two different diameter cylindrical portions while a closure for the product section has a closely parallel shape. The coolant-heating agent section also has a valve assembly responsive to the section&#39;&#39;s position and when activated causes the product to change temperature. The separable sections allow forming and filling each section individually during the manufacturing process with combination of the sections achieved as a last step.

limited @tates Patent 1 Jaeger 1 Apr. 10, 1973 [76] Inventor: Wilbert J.Jaeger, 345 N. Batavia Avenue, Apt. 30, Orange, Calif. 92666 [22] Filed:Jan. 7, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 1,239

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.737,121, June 14,

1968, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. ..62/294, 62/371, 62/457, 126/262 [51] Int. Cl ..F25d 3/10[58] Field of Search 126/262, 263; 62/294, 457, 371, 372, 331

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 450,527 4/1891 Poyner..62/457 2,622,415 12/1952 Landers ..62/457 3 ,205,678 9/ l 965 Stoner..62/457 3,338,067 8/1967 Warner ..62/457 Primary ExaminerWilliam J. WyeAttorney-Raymond L. Madsen and Richard M. Jennings ABSTRACT A selfheating or cooling container having in one embodiment two separablesections of the container, one for enclosing a cooling or heatingchemical and the other for enclosing the product to be cooled or heated,and in another embodiment a cooling or heating section within theproduct section. The section for enclosing the coolant or heating agenthas a conical portion and two different diameter cylindrical portionswhile a closure for the product section has a closely parallel shape.The coolant-heating agent section also has a valve assembly responsiveto the sections position and when activated causes the product to changetemperature. The separable sections allow forming and filling eachsection individually during the manufacturing process with combinationof the sections achieved as a last step.

23 Claim, 43 Drawing Figures PATEIITEU 3.728106 SHEET UHUF 1O INVENTORW/L 6587' J. #16656 PATH-HEB AFR 1 0 i975 SHEET USUF 1O INVENTOR. W/L5597' J 46662 ATTQQNE/f PATENTED APR 1 0 i973 SHEET 07 0F 10 INVENTOR.

sum 08 0F 10 INVENTOR. W/ABEZTJ. J/Ifege 4rrae/vE/s PATENTED APR 1 0I975 SHEET OSUF 1O SHEET 10 OF 10 266 42 t/vzvfld INVENTOR. W/L 65,8711.J,46

' ATTOe/VEVS CROSS REFERENCE This application is a continuation-in-partof patent application Ser. No. 737,121, filed June 14, 1968, nowabandoned, for SELF-REFRIGERATING AND HEATING. FOOD CONTAINERS byWilbert J. Jaeger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates generally to self-refrigerating and heating containers and moreparticularly to containers having an independent heating or coolingportion and product portion and to the method of forming, assembling andusing such containers.

2. Description of the Prior Art Although self-refrigerating and heatingfood containers have been long known and long desired, there has notbeen a commercial development because of various economic, health, andsafety problems.

For example, the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Whalen 3,320,767, Warner3,285,033, Palaith 2,460,765 and Blake et al., 2,185,799, have all showndevices comprising a single walled partitioned container for separatinga heating or cooling substance from a food product. The health hazarddue to possible mingling of the food product and the chemical used forheating or cooling is too great, and the containers cannot be madecheaply enough for low cost mass produced items; both of these factorshave contributed to the lack of commercialization of the containersdisclosed in the abovementioned patents.

In a later Warner U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,067 a double walled unit wasdisclosed with separate containers for the food product and for thecooling chemical. While this construction appears to abate the healthproblem, there is still the problem of economics in that the containerdescribed cannot conveniently be manufactured on equipment which ispresently used to manufacture food cans. It is to be understood that alarge investment exists in present can making and assembling equipment,and it is highly desirable that any container developed has the abilityto be manufactured on the existing equipment or at least not requireexpensive modification of the equipment.

Additionally, any self-cooling or self-heating food container must alsobe of such construction as to allow processing of the food after it hasbeen packed and sealed; one such further processing step is thepasteurization of beer, for example. Subjecting a container having achemical coolant to pasteurization temperatures would cause sufficientlyhigh pressures to make a safe container for the coolant prohibitivelyexpensive.

Generally, while it is obvious that a self-heating or self-coolingcontainer would be more expensive than a conventional container, ananalysis of the costs involved in cooling soft drink containers, such asin supermarkets, reveals that it costs approximately a penny a day percan based on an average shelf life of four to five days. It is notedthat this cost does not include the cost that the consumer has instoring such cans in a home refrigerator. Complementing this cost isfurther expense of ice and other cooling devices when the cans are to bekept cool outdoors as on a picnic for example. Finally, there arecertain regions where refrigeration is not even available and cooleddrinks just do not exist.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes thedisadvantages of the prior art mentioned above by providing a containerhaving an enclosure adapted to include means for selectively changingthe temperature of the content within another enclosure of the containercomprising a first elongated hollow body having first and second ends; afirst closure sealed to said first end; a second closure sealed to saidsecond end of said first hollow body and extending into said firsthollow body and having a surface at least a portion of which has aconical shape said first and second closures and said first elongatedbody forming said first mentioned enclosure; a second elongated hollowbody having first and second ends and a surface having at least aportion with a conical shape, said surface of said second elongatedhollow body is closely disposed to said surface of said second closureand parallel thereto, said second body forming said other enclosure; andmeans communicating the other closure of said second hollow body withthe environment about said first hollow body. In addition the presentinvention includes among several methods a method of forming thecontainer comprising the steps of providing a strip of material; cuttingsaid strip to a pre-deterrnined size; forming said out strip into ahollow cylinder having two open ends; providing a first plug ofmaterial; pressing said first plug into a first elongated hollow bodyhaving two ends and having a portion adjacent one end with a conicalshape and a portion adjacent the other end with a cylindrical shape;connecting said one endof said first hollow body and one end of saidcylinder to form a first enclosure; providing a second plug of material;pressing said second plug into a second elongated hollow body having twoends and having a portion of cylindrical shape and a portion of conicalshape; providing a closure; lock seaming said closure to an end of saidsecond hollow body; filling said hollow body in a high pressureenvironment with a coolant; sealing said other end of said filled secondhollow body; and inserting said second hollow body into said firsthollow body so that said second hollow body is locked into positionslightly spaced from said first hollow body.

An object of the present invention is to provide a self-cooling orheating container which is safe, convenient to use, and economical tomanufacture because of its adaptation to existing manufacturingequipment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-cooling orheating container having a construction which reduces the health hazardof mingling the product to be heated or cooled and the chemical whichprovides the heating or cooling.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide aself-cooling or heating container which allows the product to be heatedor cooled to be disposed within the container within a sealed enclosureas part of a process which is independent of the formation, filling andsealing of the cooling or heating section of the container.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a self-coolingor heating container which has efficient heat transfer properties andwhen in the cooling mode has the ability to form ice within the productto be cooled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view partiallyin phantom of an embodiment of a self-cooling or heating containeroriented in an upright position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partially in phantom of the self-cooling orheating container of FIG. 1 oriented in an inverted position.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the container of FIG. 2 showing a pop top.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectional viewtaken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectional viewof the self-cooling or heating container after the pop top has beenremoved.

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged sectional view taken along curved line 6-6of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view partially broken away of the inner andouter sections of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a partially broken away perspective view of the FIG. 1embodiment shown in integral form.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the FIG. 9 container showing both the innerand outer sections.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged sectional view taken along curved line12-12 of FIG. 1 1.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containerpartially in phantom.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the container of FIG. 13 showing a pull tab.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is an isometric bottom view of the pull tab of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containeroriented in an upright position.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view partially in phantom of the containershown in FIG. 18, oriented in an upside down position.

FIG. 20 is a partially exploded, partially broken away perspective viewof the container oriented as in FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview taken along line 21-21 of FIG. 19 illustrating the inner containerin its first position.

FIG. 22 is a plan sectional view taken along line 22- 22 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary longitudinal view as shown in FIG. 21 rotated90.

FIG. 24 is a partial enlarged sectional view taken along curved line24-24 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 25 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 24 before the container body and the closure have been connected.

FIG. 26 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview of the embodiment shown in FIG. 21 illustrating the inner containerin its second positron.

FIG. 27 is a partially exploded perspective view of the valve assemblyand closure for the inner container.

FIG. 28 is a fragmentary enlarged partially sectional view taken alongline 28-28 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 29 is a fragmentary enlarged partially sectional view taken alongline 29-29 of FIG. 26.

FIG. 30 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken along line 30-30of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken along line 31-31of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a plan sectional view taken along line 32- 32 of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the plunger element of the valveassembly.

FIG. 34 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview of the container of FIG. 20 modified to provide heating for thecontainer.

FIG. 35 is an enlarged partially sectional view of the valve assemblytaken along line 35-35 of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 36-36 of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a method of forming the embodiment shownin FIG. 20.

FIG. 38 is a longitudinal partially broken away, partially sectionalview of another embodiment of a container.

FIG. 39 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 38.

FIG. 40 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken along the curvedline 40-40 of FIG. 38.

FIG. 41 is a sectional view taken along line 41-41 of FIG. 38.

FIG. 42 is a sectional view of the valve assembly taken along line 42-42of FIG. 38.

FIG. 43 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 24illustrating the container in integral form.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 18, 19 and 20there is illustrated a container 99 having an outer container section100 and an inner container section 107. The outer container 100comprises a hollow, elongated body 101 in the form of a conventionalbeverage can having a closure 102 with a conventional pop top 104connected to the body 101 at one end and a uniquely shaped recessed orconcave closure 106 connected to the other end; according to usual usagethe closure 102 is at the top of the can and the recessed closure 106 isat the bottom. As seen in FIG. 20, the inner container 107 includes anelongated hollow body 108 having a shape very similar to that of therecessed closure and cooperates with the outer container 100 to fitwithin the recessed closure. The inner container forms an enclosure fora heating or cooling chemical which when activated will heat or cool thecontent within an enclosure 110 formed by the outer container 100.

As mentioned, the hollow body 101 is shaped as a conventional beveragecontainer and, as such, has a cylindrical shape which is formed byhaving a strip of suitable material, usually a properly coated metal,cut to a pre-determined size dependent upon the size of the can desired;the strip is then rolled into the cylindrical shape and retained by asuitable connection such as spot welding to form a seam 114. The hollowbody 101 is connected to the top closure 102 by a standard rollingoperation to form a lock seam. The pop top 104 includes a ring portion116 and a tear portion 110. The tear portion is formed by having theclosure 102 partially cut in the shape of an opening desired, usuallytriangular or rectangular, while the ring 116, which is attached by aspot weld designated 120, is pulled by a user when it is desired to haveaccess to the content of the outer container.

The closure 106 is comprised of a large conical portion 122, FIG. 20, asmall conical portion 124 (better seen in FIG. 24), a large diametercylindrical portion 126, and a small diameter cylindrical portion 120.In addition the closure 106 has a first end portion 130, FIGS. 24 and25, which forms with the hollow body 101 the lock seam 132, FIG. 24, anda second end portion 134, FIG. 20, which is integrally connected to thecylindrical portion 128 and forms a flat surface, generally transverseto the direction of the longitudinal axis of the container 99.

Referring now to FIG. 24, there is shown in more detail the two conicalportions 122 and 124 of the recessed closure 106. The conical portion122 is sloped at an angle of about 14 from the vertical, while conicalportion 124 is sloped at an angle of about only 4. The difference inangle is due primarily to the conventional machines used to form thelock seam 132 to connect the recessed closure to the cylindrical body101. The lock seaming machine grips the cylindrical body 101 and theclosure 106, thereby deforming the closures original 14 conical portion122 and causes the two elements to rotate while the locking seam 132 isformed by rolling the end 130 of the recessed closure and an end 136 ofthe cylindrical body 101. Adifferent variation of the connection betweenthe cylindrical body and the closure is shown in FIG. 43 wherein thecylindrical body 101' is made integral with the closure 106 so that nolock seam is necessary.

The conical portion 122 and the cylindrical portions 126 and 128 may bemade by a process which is commonly called drawing. The drawing processbegins by providing a plug of material, such as a malleable metal, whichis processed through a series of pressing operation to progressivelyform the desired shape as shown in FIG. 20, for example. Generally thefirst pressing operation would form the conical portion 122 by having amale die enter a female die which are dimensioned to allow the plug ofmaterial to expand through a restricted spacing between the two dies soas to form a tubular conical structure. After the conical portion 122 isformed, progressive punching with different sets of male and female diescreates the remaining cylindrical portions 126 and 128 and the endportion 134. It is to be understood that material other than meta] maybe used to form the outer container 100 so that other processes may beused dependent upon the choice of materials. For example, a moldingoperation might be used to form the outer container if the material is asynthetic resin. And it is to be understood that some other process maybe used if desired when metal is the material.

Again referring to FIG. 20, the inner container 107 has a shape similarto the shape of the closure 106 and comprises a conical portion 140, alarge diameter cylindrical portion 142, and a small diameter cylindricalportion 144. The conical portion 140 is located adjacent a first end146, FIG. 24, and between the end 146 and the conical portion there isstill another cylindrical portion 148. A closure 150, FIG. 20, isconnected to the hollow body 108 with a lock seam 152 in a fashionsimilar to that described for lock seam 132. However, once againreferring to FIG. 43 the hollow body 108' may be made integral with theclosure so as to obviate the need for a lock seam. Another closure 154is positioned over the second end 156 of the body 108.

The hollow body 108 of the inner container 107 may be made in a manneranalogous to that of the closure 106 of the outer container 101. Thatis, except for dimensional variation, the same drawing process which isused for closure 106 may be used for the hollow body 108. Since theclosures 150 and 154 are of simpler design and substantially flatterthan the body 100, they may be stamped from sheet metal in theconventional fashion.

Referring now to FIG. 23, there is illustrated in more detail theinterior of the container near its top closure 102. As the cylindricalportion 144 approaches the end 156, there is formed an angular recess160, which cooperates with the closure 154 to form a means for retainingthe inner container 107 within the outer container 101 as shown in FIG.21. Helping to retain the inner container 107 are four projections orindentations 162, 164, 166 and 168, FIG. 22. As seen in FIG. 22, theprojections are evenly spaced around the inner circumference of thecylindrical portion 128 of the closure 106. However, as seen in FIGS. 21and 23, which are views separated by 90, two of the projections 162 and166 are spaced from the other two projections 164 and 168 in a directionparallel to the longitudinal axis of the container 90. This may best beseen when comparing the recess 160 and closure 154 in FIGS. 21 and 23.In FIG. 21 the projections 162 and 166 are shown abutting the closure154 so as to prevent the movement of the inner container 107 toward theend portion 134 of the closure 106. However, when the vantage point isrotated 90, as is done when moving from FIG. 21 to FIG. 23, it is notedthat the projections 164 and 168 tit within the recess 160. Thus, in theposition shown in FIGS. 21 and 23 the inner container 107 is lockedwithin the outer container 101 unable to be separated due to thecombination of the projections 164, 160 and the recess 160 and unable tomove further into the closure 106 because of the abutment of theprojections 162, 166 and the closure 150. This position is the first orstorage position of the inner container 107 relative the outer container101.

Referring now to FIG. 26, the second or activating position of the innercontainer 107 relative the outer container 101 is illustrated. The innercontainer 107 has been pushed further into the closure 106 so that theclosure 154 is spaced closely to the end portion 134 of the closure 106.In this second position the projections 162 and 166 are located withinthe recess 160 while the projections 164 and 168 have been permanentlydistorted. The significance of the first and second positions for theinner container 107 will be explained in detail hereinbelow. Theprojections 162, 166, 166 and 168 may be formed in the closure 106 by asimple crimping operation if the material of the closure 106 is metal ormetal be molded integrally if the material is a synthetic resin.

In the storage position, the seam 152 of the inner container 107 isdisposed inwardly of the seam 132 to prevent accidental activation ofthe container should a force be applied against the bottom of thecontainer during transportation or handling. The slightly inwardposition of the inner container so as to leave the seam 132 in aprotective position is shown clearly in FIGS. 19 and 32.

Referring to FIGS. and 27, there is illustrated a portion of the valveassembly 170, which is connected to the closure 154 of the innercontainer 107. In FIG. 30, the valve assembly 170 is shown in moredetail. The valve assembly comprises a generally tubular sleeve 172having plurality of longitudinally extending ribs 174 spaced about theinterior circumference of the sleeve, a frangible diaphragm 176, atubular plunger 178, (also see FIG. 33), which includes a bottoming head179 and a flanged head 180, a longitudinal opening 182, and a smallcontrol aperture 184, which is positioned perpendicular to thelongitudinal opening 182 and proceeds through the body of the tubularplunger 1178. Additionally, a seal such as an O-ring (not shown) or aresilient washer 186 is provided to sandwich the diaphragm 176 betweenitself and the sleeve 172. The washer 186 also seals an opening 196about the plunger 170 to prevent leakage of the content of the innercontainer 107.

The valve assembly 170 is held together by the closure 154 by having oneshoulder 190 of the closure 154 abut a slanted shoulder 192 of the valvesleeve 172 while a second shoulder 194 of the closure 154 abuts thewasher 186; by press forming the closure 154 about the valve assemblyopposing forces are created by the shoulders 190 and 194 to form a fluidtight, operable valve assembly. During manufacture the valve assembly170 is positioned so that the plunger 178 fits through the opening 196in the closure 154 and then the shoulders 190 and 194 may be crimpedabout the valve assembly.

In the views shown in FIGS. 28 and 30, the flanged head 100 ispositioned adjacent the diaphragm 176, but has not yet broken thediaphragm so that the content within the container 107 fills theinterior of the sleeve 172. As illustrated in FIG. 28 the container 107is in its first position relative the closure 106 and has the closure154 abutting the projections 162 and 166. When pressure is applied tothe inner container 107 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 26, such as bya user pressing down with his thumbs on the closure 150, FIG. 20, withsufficient force to move the inner container further into the closure106, the plunger 178 of the valve assembly will come into contact withthe end portion 134 of the closure 106 as shown in FIGS. 29 and 31. Ithas been found'that with a conventionally shape can having an 8 ouncebeverage compartment and a 4 ounce coolant compartment l2 ounces total)and conventional can material, about 4.5 pounds of force is necessary tomove the inner container from its first to second positions. When thebottoming head 179 of the plunger 178 abuts the end portion 134, theactuating force is transmitted to the flanged head 180 which breaksthrough the diaphragm 176 and moves upward into the sleeve 172. Movementof the plunger 178 is relatively easy because of the slidingrelationship established between the flanged head 180 and the ribs 174of the sleeve 172. As the flanged head moves into the sleeve, thecontent of the inner container begins to communicate with thelongitudinal opening 182 by way of the control aperture 184 as can beseen by the arrow in FIG. 31 and by the plan view in FIG. 32. Theflanged head is slightly spaced from the ribs and there are spaces, suchas that designated 198, FIG. 32, which surround the plunger to allowmovement of the container content around the flanged head, into thecontrol aperture, through the longitudinal opening and past thebottoming head.

When the inner container 107 is pushed beyond the projections 162 and166, the projections are somewhat distorted and the closure 154 isflexed sufficiently so that the projections retain a sufficientprotrudence inwardly toward the inner container to move into the recess160, thereby retaining the inner container in its second or activatingposition. The flex of the closure 154 is attained by the inherentflexibility of the material used and by a seal 199 disposed between theclosure and the end of the inner container.

As mentioned earlier, the content of the inner container may be anychemical compound which will create the desired heating or coolingeffect. For cooling, a preferred compound is Freon 12, which is a gas atroom temperature and becomes liquid at about 21F. However, there is apressuretemperature relationship, which will allow the boiling pointtemperature of Freon to be raised if the Freon is contained in a vesselwhere the pressure is greater than one atmosphere pressure (about 15psi). Thus, if Freon is placed within the inner container 107 with apressure of 109.24 pounds per square inch the Freon will be a liquid upto a temperature of F. If the Freon in the inner container communicateswith the ambient environment, which may be assumed to be at a pressureof about 15 psi then the boiling point temperature of the Freon drops toits normal -2lF. Since in almost all cases, the environment about theFreon would be at a temperature much greater than 21F, the Freon willchange from its liquid phase to its gaseous phase and boil off; duringthis time the Freon will increase in temperature as a liquid and thenwhile at the same temperature change from a liquid to a gas. However,the Freon will be absorbing heat during the entire process with most ofthe heat being absorbed during the Freons change of phase, the quantityof heat per unit mass that must be supplied to a material at its boilingpoint to convert it completely to a gas at the same temperature, beingcalled the heat of vaporization of the material. It is this process ofabsorbing heat from the surrounding to change the Freon from a liquid toa gas that provides the Freon with the quality of being able to lowerthe temperature of the immediate environment. ideally, given enoughFreon and a small enough environment to cool, the Freon will continue toabsorb heat until an equilibrium has been reached at 2lF. However, forpurposes of cooling a beverage, for example, if a certain amount ofFreon can lower the temperature of the beverage environment to the rangeof about 32 to 38F that is all that is necessary.

Referring now to FIGS. 21, 26, 29 and 31, there is illustrated the wayin which the Freon within the inner container 107 is selectively exposedto atmospheric pressure to cause the Freon to boil and absorb heat fromthe content within the enclosure 110. As shown in FIG. 31, once theplunger 178 breaks the diaphragm 176 the Freon is able to communicatethrough the opening 184 to a spacing designated 200 between the innercontainer and the closure 106. This spacing is about the plunger 178 asshown in FIG. 31, continues around to the side of the inner container asshown in FIG. 29, continues along the entire length of the innercontainer as shown in FIG. 26, and continues finally to the environmentabout the container 99 as shown in FIG. 24. It is noted that in additionto locating the inner container in its first and second positions theprojections 162, 164, 166 and 168 also position the inner containerwithin the closure 106 to provide for the spacing 200. The only pointsof contact between the inner container and the closure 106 are thosemade by the projections. The spacing 200 is important as it affects thecooling efficiency of a given amount of Freon relative to a given amountof product within the outer container 101. In a similar manner thediameter of the control aperture 184 is also important in regard to theefficiency of the cooling process and is a function of the coolant used.For example, for Freon the control aperture has a diameter of 0.013inches, while the spacing 200 is 0.005 inches (distance between theinner container surface and the surface of the closure 106) for acontainer having the size of a conventional 12 ounce beverage can. It isalso noted that for Freon, the inner container should have a volumeapproximately onethird the volume of the outer container when the outercontainer contains a beverage and for best heat exchange efficiency theheat exchange surface should be as large as possible, however, takingmanufacturing considerations and conventional styling considerationsinto account, the part conical, part cylindrical shape of the innercontainer and closure 106 with the inner container extending almost thefull longitudinal length of the outer container has been found mosteffective.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 through 33 also has the uniqueadvantage of being able to selectively form ice within the beverage inthe enclosure 110 if it is found desirable. For example, if the beveragein the enclosure is beer, it is normally undesirable to have any iceformation, however, if the beverage is a soft drink or certain types ofliquor, such as scotch, the formation of ice may be highly desirable.Since Freon will boil at the surface which is in communication with thelow pressure environment if the container 99 is activated in an upsidedown position as shown in FIG. 26, liquid Freon will escape through thevalve assembly 170 into the spacing 200. Initially the liquid Freon willimmediately start absorbing heat and will boil while adjacent theclosure 134 and cylindrical portion 128. As more liquid Freon issupplied the temperature of the beverage in the region about the closure134 and the portion 128 will drop below 32F and ice will be formed. Asthe temperature drops in that region less heat exchange occurs so thatthe liquid level of the Freon slowly creeps upwardly in the spacing 200progressively cooling the beverage throughout the enclosure 110. Thereason that there is less heat exchange as the temperature is reduced isthat a temperature differential between two objects is the driving forceto cause a transfer of heat from the object at the higher temperature tothe object at the lower temperature. The liquid level may reach the seam152 in a cool environment while in a warm environment the liquid levelmay only proceed partly along the longitudinal length of the container.However, since liquid Freon will always be present adjacent the closure134 and the portion 128 during the cooling process, the beverage in theregion adjoining the closure and the portion 128 will be cold enough toform ice. After the cooling process has been accomplished, the userturns the can upright and pulls the pop top 104 so that he can drink thebeverage; ice that has formed will be immediately under the pop top toinsure that the user receives a very cool and refreshing drink.

If ice is not desired then activation of the inner container may beaccomplished while holding the container in the position shown in FIG.21, using the thumbs against the closure 105 to push the inner containerdeeper into the closure 106, or activation may be accomplished while thecontainer is in a position shown in FIG. 18. If the former method isused, and it appears to be the easier of the two mentioned methods, thenas soon as the plunger 178 of the valve assembly 170 has broken thediaphragm 176, the container should be rotated to the position shown inFIG. 18. When this is done boiling of the liquid will occur within theinner container because of the clearance or head room provided betweenthe liquid Freon and the valve assembly. The head room amounts to about17 to 20 per cent of the volume of the inner container and is providedas a safety precaution to prevent a dangerously high level of pressureexisting within the inner container. Under these circumstances coolingis not concentrated at any one portion or region along the container.However, heat is transferred from the beverage to the Freom in a slowermore evenly distributed manner so that the final temperature of thebeverage using this second activation process is about the same as whenusing the first mentioned activation process thus when beer is thebeverage within the enclosure a temperature of 38F has been achievedusing either of the activation processes.

The particular shapes of the inner container and the closure 106 provideunique advantages in that they are conveniently manufactured by the sametype of machines presently used in the can industry and may be attachedto conventional can bodies using presently available machines and yetprovide a relatively large surface area through which heat exchange maybe accomplished. Since the heat transfer occurs at a much faster ratearound the cylindrical portion of the closure 106, there is less needfor large heat exchange surface relative the amount of beverage in thevicinity. However, as the coolant proceeds along the closure 106 to thecylindrical portion 126 and to the conical portion 122 there is a lesserrate of heat exchange occurring so that a larger heat exchange surfacearea is necessary relative to the amount of the beverage. The advantageof the geometric structure illustrated is best seen in FIG. 24 where asthe heat transfer surface area reaches a maximum the amount of beverageto be cooled reaches a minimum due to the conical portions 122 and 124.

It is also noted that in either method of operation of the coolingprocess there is little likelihood of Freon in the liquid state beingspilled upon the user's hands. As mentioned, such events have occurredwith prior art devices and is very undesirable from a product liabilitystandpoint because of the frostbite occasioned by contact of liquidFreon and skin. The use of a control aperture 184, 0.013 inch in theexample mentioned, the specific coolant, Freon 12, the spacing 200,0.005 inch in the example mentioned, and the specific shape of the innercontainer to give the heat exchange surface all combine to provide theproper and necessary cooling without the usual disadvantages such as thefrostbite just mentioned. Another advantageous feature of theembodiment'shown in FIG. 20 is the double walled construction betweenthe refrigerant and the beverage. In case either fluid should lead fromits respective enclosure, it would be to the external environment ratherthan mingling with the other fluid. Thus, there is a definite healthadvantage and an avoidance of product liability disadvantages should acoolant and beverage mix and be consumed unknowingly.

A still further advantage is achieved when the present invention is usedwith a beverage whose flavor is a function of temperature. For example,beer is generally thought to have the best taste when it is at atemperature between 38 and 42F. Generally most refrigeration units instores and at home cool beer to about 38F. However, when the beer can isremoved from the refrigeration unit, the excellent heat conductingproperties of the metal can immediately transfers heat from theenvironment to the beer. Within 30 seconds after a beer can is openedthe temperature of the beer is about 42F and continues to climbthereafter. One reason for the rapid temperature increase is that watervapor in the environment will con dense on the can and cause an evengreater heat transfer than usual because water conducts heat much betterthan air. Hence, beer, for example, is rarely consumed at its mostflavorful temperature.

The container of the present invention provides the cooling while thecontainer is in the environment. Generally all that is needed to cool 8ounces of liquid is about 19 Btu; 4 ounces of Freon 12 will generateabout 27 Btu so that extra cooling power is available to offset theimmediate heating from the environment and to cool the inner containerand outer container themselves. Once the cooling process is complete,the inner container and the outer container will continue to act toretard and to offset the heating effect of the environment and therebykeep the beer below the 42F level for a longer period of time. At 70F,45 per cent relative humidity, beer will remain at or below 40F for upto minutes. Of course, the same advantage is achieved when using thepresent invention for heating purposes.

Referring again to FIG. 27 there is illustrated a variation of the innercontainer to adapt it for heating purposes. The modification includessimply adding a toroidal shape tablet 202 to an annular recess 204formed in the closure 154 about the valve assembly 170. If the properchemical compound is provided within the inner container then uponrelease of the chemical within the inner container there will be anexothermic chemical reaction to provide heat for the content within theenclosure 110. For example, the tablet 202 may be comprised of sodiumthiosulfate or potassium thiosulfate while the material within the innercontainer is a solution of Freon and hydrogen peroxide.

The Freon is used to eject the hydrogen peroxide from the innercontainer. Experiments have shown that with an 8 per cent hydrogenperoxide solution in the inner container a temperature of I20F can bereached in the beverage situated within the enclosure 110. If-thesolution is 10 per cent the temperature reached is F; if the solution is12 per cent the temperature reached is F; and if the solution is 14 percent the temperature reached is F, a temperature that is higher thannecessary for most heated foodstuff.

Referring now to FIGS. 34, 35 and 36 there is shown another version of acontainer 210 which may be used to heat a product. The structure of theouter container 101' is identical to that shown in FIG. 18. Likewise thestructure for the inner container 107 is identical to the structure ofinner container 107 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, except for thevalve assembly and the chemicals used. As illustrated in FIG. 36, thevalve assembly 212 includes an elongated rod 214 moveable through atubular sleeve 216 and a seal 218 which is to prevent leakage. Includedwithin the inner container 107' are two separated chemicals, thechemicals being separated by a flexible bag 220, FIG. 34, made of asuitable material such as a synthetic resin which is attached to an end156' of the inner container by being sandwiched between the innercontainer and a closure 154'. The inner container has both storage andactivation positions analogous to the inner container 107. In thestorage position the rod 214 is completely contained within the bag 220.However, in the activating position the rod is moved a sufficientdistance to pierce the bag 220 as is shown in FIG. 34, thereby allowingthe chemical 222 within the bag to mix with the chemical 224 outside thebag. Since many chemicals give off heat when reacting without the needof exposure to atmospheric pressure, there is no need to have anycommunication with the environment about the container 210 in order tohave a heating effect. An example of a suitable chemical for beingwithin the bag is hydrogen peroxide while suitable chemicals to beplaced within the inner container include sodium thiosulfate crystals.

Referring now to FIGS. 38 through 42, there is illustrated anotherembodiment of the present invention. The container 230 comprises anouter cylindrical body 232, a closure 234 with a pop top 236 located atone end of the cylindrical body and a second closure 238 located at theother end of the cylindrical body 232. The closure 238 has a generallycylindrical portion 240 which is formed into a male threaded section.Integral with the cylindrical portion 240 is an annular ring portion 242which is deposed generally perpendicular to the cylindrical portion 240and connects at an end 244 to an end 246 of the cylindrical body 232 toform a lock seam 247 similar to that described for the embodiment ofFIG. 18.

The method of forming the cylindrical body 232 may be identical to thatused to form outer container 101. The same is true of the methodsforming the closure 234 and the closure 102. The closure 238 may bepressed into a generally cup shape with one set of dies and then threadsformed with another set of dies. The male die of the second set of diesis removed with a twisting motion thereby causing the cylindricalportion 240 to be threaded. A consumable beverage or other foodstuff maybe located within the enclosure 248 formed by the cylindrical body andthe closures 238 and 234.

A second inner container 250 is positioned within the container 230 andhas a shape very similar to the inner container 107. For example, thecontainer 250 is comprised of a first cylindrical portion 252 integrallyconnected to a larger cylindrical portion 254 which in turn isintegrally connected to a conical portion 256. A closure 258 is sealedto the cylindrical portion 252. The other end of the inner container iscomprised of a generally cylindrical portion 260, FIG. 40, which isformed into a set of female threads to allow engagement with the malethread 240 of the closure 238. To insure a fluid type connection anO-ring seal 262 is provided between the closure and the inner container.Within the enclosure 264 formed by the inner container is a refrigerant,such as the Freon l2 mentioned above.

Also connected to the closure 238 is a valve assembly comprising atubular sleeve 268 having spaced ribs 270, a frangible diaphragm 272, atubular plunger 274 having a flanged head 276, a longitudinallyextending opening 278, a transversely extending control aperture 280, apressure platform 282 and an O-ring seal 283. Operation of the valveassembly 266 is identical to that described earlier for the valveassembly 170. The pressure platform 282 is the only different element,which is provided because the valve assembly is located in a differentposition and is activated by a user pressing upon the pressure platformto cause the plunger and therefore the flanged head to break through thediaphragm. The breaking of the diaphragm allows communication of thecontent within the enclosure 264 to communicate through the controlaperture 280 and through the longitudinal opening 278 with the externalenvironment. The inner container 250 may be formed by the same drawingprocess used for the inner container 107 with the additional step offorming the threads within the cylindrical portion 260.

Operation of the valve assembly 266 is desirable when the container 230is situated in a position as shown in FIG. 38. If the container wereturned upside down, there would be the possibility of leaking liquidcoolant on the user. Because there is only a single wall separating theenclosure 248 from the enclosure 264 and because the inner containerwill be constructed of a good heat conducting metal, there is excellentheat transfer between the product within the enclosure 248 and therefrigerant in enclosure 264 once the valve assembly has been activated.To assemble the container 230, the inner container 250 is formed bydrawing while the closure 238 is pressed. The closure 238 is thenengaged to the inner container to form a fluid tight seal. Thecylindrical body 232 is formed and lock seamed to the closure 238. Avacuum is created, Freon is inserted into the inner container and theclosure 258 is sealed to enclose the Freon. The beverage is then addedto enclosure 248 and the container is sealed with the closure 234. Toconform to existing practices the containers are usually shipped from acan manufacturer to a bottler before the beverage is added to thecontainer.

Current production of beer and soft drinks in metal cans occur in a twostep manufacturing procedure. Generally, a can company will manufacturea portion of the finished can, while a bottling company fills the canand completes the can structure. Usually, a can company will receive aroll of metal, which is coated twice and cut to a pre-determined size toform the cylindrical can body. In a separate operation the pop topclosures are formed and are mated to the can body by lock seaming.Generally, the cans will also be imprinted with appropriate labels. Thecans are then pelletized and forwarded to a bottling company, which thensends the partially completed can through further processes to insurecleanliness before they are filled and sealed.

In keeping with the traditional two step manufacturing process a methodhas been devised for forming a container, such as the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 18. The method comprises, providing a strip ofmaterial, which is then cut to a pre-determined size toallow theformation of a hollow cylinder, such as the cylindrical body of theouter container 101, FIG. 18. There is also provided a plug of material,which, as mentioned earlier, is pressed into an elongated hollow body bythe above mentioned drawing process which includes a series of pressingoperations. The elongated hollow body may be formed with a configurationidentical to the closure 106, FIG. 20, which includes two conicalsections 122 and 124 and two cylindrical portions 126 and 128. Theformation of the container, the formation of the closure and theirconnection is graphically described in FIG. 37 in the rectangularfigures designated 300, 302 and 304 respectively. It is, of course,understood that the projections 162, 164, 166 and 168 may also becrimped into the closure during its forming process. The threerectangular figures, 300, 302 and 304, are surrounded by a largerrectangular figure drawn in phantom designated 306 to indicate thatthose steps may be accomplished by one manufacturer while the remainderof the method to be described may be accomplished by others.

A second container, such as the inner container 107, may be formed by amanufacturer totally divorced from the manufacturer forming theconventional container, or the inner container may be formed on anotherforming line by the same manufacturer of the conventional can. Forming acontainer having a unique shape, such as the inner container 107, may beaccomplished by providing a plug of material and then drawing thatmaterial by the progressive pressing steps as already described. Aclosure is then stamped out of sheet metal and connected to the coolantcontainer body by a lock seaming process. These twd steps are describedgraphically by the rectangular figures designated 308 and 310respectively. Next the inner container is filled with a coolant underpressure if the coolant responds in a manner analogous to Freon. Thisstep is designated 312. The coolant filling step may be accomplished byany standard aerosol filling machine. After filling the inner container,the container is then sealed as designated 314. The large rectangularfigure drawn in phantom line and designated 316 is used to indicate theseparate manufacturing operations necessary to form the coolantcartridge. The coolant container may then be inserted into the productcontainer in a bottlers plant or prior to reaching the bottle-rs plantdepending upon convenience. For example, if the manufacturer forms theouter product container and the inner coolant container, then economicswould probably dictate that he insert the inner container into the outercontainer before shipment to the bottler. Regardless of the approachfollowed, the step is designated 318. The in-. sertion of the innercontainer into the outer container may be accomplished by a magnetattaching itself to a closure, such as closure 150, if the closure ismade of tin plated steel so as to be magnetic. The remainder of thecontainer may also be steel or could be aluminum if an all metalcontainer is desirable.

Once within the bottlers plant the additional operation of filling theproduct container and sealing the container may be accomplished in theusual way. Rectangular Figures 320 and 322 designate respectively theselast two processing steps. It is to be noted, however, that in bottlingsome products such as beer, it is undesirable to have the coolantcontainer inserted within the product container until after the beer issent to a pasteruization station subjecting the beer to a relativelyhigh temperature which would usually be detrimental to a coolant such asFreon 12. Thus, an advantage of the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 is thatthe coolant container may be added to the product container after theproduct container has been filled, completely processed and sealed in afashion which would not require any changes from present day processing.

The process above described for forming the various containers may bealtered somewhat should material other than metal be used or if it isfound desirable for other reasons not to follow the more traditionalapproach. For example, using the drawing process described, it ispossible to press a hollow, elongated body that includes the outercylindrical and the uniquely shaped closure as an integral element. Thecylindrical portion, which eventually forms the outer body of thecontainer, is then rolled under heat and pressure in a fashion similarto turning ones sock partially inside out. This is known as a outer wallreversed draw. In an analogous fashion an inner wall reversed draw maybe used to stuff the portion representing the closure into the largecylindrical portion, which eventually forms the outer body. As mentionedearlier, should plastic be used the various parts may be molded orextruded and then fastened together.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4 a container comprises an outercontainer 12 for depositing a product and an inner container 14 forhousing a cooling or heating compound. In the interest of clarity theselfrefrigerating or heating container will be described as aself-refrigerating device for a liquid food or beverage 19, FIG. 4.However, it will be readily apparent as the description proceeds, and aswill be explained subsequently, that the container 10, may be utilizedto regulate the temperature of solid or liquid foods so as to eitherheat or cool the food. Further it will be understood that the innercontainer 14 may be charged with a heat producing substance or arefrigerant depending on the selected application of the container 10.It is to be understood, however, that the container described could alsobe used to store other than foodstuff and could be used to heat or coolany one ofa number of items.

The outer container 12 has a top closure 15 sealed to a cylindrical sidebody 16 in a conventional manner such as by a rolled seal 17j and thetop closure 15 may include a conventional pull pop top openingarrangement l8 scored into the outer surface thereof as alreadydescribed. The outer container 12 is closed after the beverage 19 hasbeen placed therein, by the attachment of the bottom closure 21, FIG. 4to the lower end of the side body 16. As seen best in FIG. 6, the sidebody 16 may be attached to the closure 21 by a rolled seal 22, forexample. The closure 21 has a generally conical configuration with arelatively large head portion 23, FIG. 8 and a tapering seam portion 24,with the seam portion 24 extending into the side body 16 the greaterpart of the length of the side body, and preferably substantially theentire length of the side body.

The coolant inner container 14 comprises a closure 27, FIG. 8 and a tank26 which is adapted to contain a quantity of liquid coolant 28 underpressure, for example. The inner container 14 is designed to withstandmore pressure than the outer container 12 and therefore the tank 26 andthe closure 27 may be constructed from stronger or thicker material thanthe corresponding members of the outer container 12. Further to insure apressure tight vessel the seal 29, FIG. 6 between the tank 26 and theclosure 27 may be formed by double rolling these surfaces inwardly ofthe periphery of the closure; a gasket material or sealant (not shown)may be disposed between the surfaces of the folded portions of thesejust mentioned members. A plurality of ridges 30, FIGS. 2 and 3 areformed in the closure 27 to increase the rigidity thereof. It isimportant for best performance of the container 10 that theconfiguration of the tank 26 be similar to the configuration of theclosure 21, but of slightly smaller dimensions so that close contact maybe maintained between the closure 21 and the inner container.

Means for venting the interior of the inner container 14 to theatmosphere is attached to the closure 27, and

for the selected embodiment the venting means is shown as a pull pop toparrangement 31, FIG. 8 scored into the closure. The pull-tab arrangement31 may be of conventional type with the depth of the scoring slightlyreduced so that the lid may withstand greater pressures and with thesize of the resulting opening 32 being adapted for a selected coolingrate as will be explained subsequently. Although the venting arrangement31 has been selected herein as a one-shot type just as the valveassembly it will be understood that in accordance with the subjectinvention any suitable venting assembly may be incorporated into theclosure, including those of the manually controllable valve typeassembly that the inner container 14 may be more readily recharged if itshould be desired that the unit be reusable.

As noted previously, one of the primary objects and advantages of thesubject invention is that the container may be processed with the leastpossible modification of existing manufacturing equipment, in whichequipment the industry presently has a large capital investment. Itshould be noted that in accordance with the subject invention that theouter container 12, before the closure 21 is attached thereto, may befilled by standard equipment without modification. However, it will berecognized that since the closure 21 will displace a given volume withinthe outer container 12 that the volume of the liquid filling eachcontainer should be reduced proportionally. For example, the fillingmachine should be set so as to place l2 ounces of beverage in a standard16 ounce can. An important advantage of the conical configuration of theclosure 21 is that it may be nested (stacked) in a modified closurefeeder machine and then inserted into the outer container so that theseal 22 may be subsequently formed in the conventional manner at thenormal high rate of production.

As with the FIG. 18 embodiment, since the outer container 12 and theinner container 14 are structurally independent, the filled outercontainer may be processed without concern as to the effects of suchprocessing on the coolant.

The inner container 14 may be assembled by placing the required amountof coolant 28 into the tank 26 and then spinning the closure 27 onto thetank so as to form the double seal 29. Once again the structuralindependence of the beverage container 12 and the coolant container 14is advantageous, as the coolant container may be assembled at acompletely different facility under the most favorable environmentalconditions.

The amount and type of coolant is determined by the requirements of theparticular application and the beverage selected. In addition to Freon12, propane, butane or a mixture thereof are satisfactory refrigerants.It will be understood, however, that the subject invention is notlimited to the proportions or type of coolants stated by way of exampleand that any suitable coolant may be utilized in the inner container inaccordance with the principles of the subject invention.

After the outer container 12 has been filled, sealed and processed, theinner container 14 may be adhered to the outer surface of the closure 21by means of any conventional adhesive such as epoxy. However, sinceconventional epoxy is a poor heat conductor only small quantities shouldbe utilized. Preferably, the inner container 14 may be bonded to theouter surface of the closure 21 by a thermal conductive adhesive 33,such as Thermo-mastic for example, disposed between the closure 21 andthe tank 26. The use of the conductive adhesive 33 as a bonding agenthas the advantage of increasing the thermal conductivity between thetank 26 and crown 21 as well as compensating for any minorirregularities in the surfaces that may otherwise prevent close contacttherebetween.

In the embodiment of the container shown in FIGS. 9 through 12, theconically shaped bottom member or conical section 21 of the outercontainer 12 is formed as an integral part of the side body 16'. Information the same drawing processes may be employed as described forthe FIG. 18 embodiment. One advantage of the container 12 is that it maybe filled from the top end in exactly the manner now conventionallyemployed in the industry, and the closure 15 may be sealed to the sidebody 16' without any modification of existing equipment. For theembodiment shown in FIGS. 9 through 12 the inner container 14 (which isidentical to unit 14) may be mounted within the opening formed by theouter surfaces of the closure structure 21' in an identical manner tothat described previously.

Shortly before the beverage 19 is to be consumed, the user may vent theinner container 14 by means of the pull-tab arrangement 31; and thepressure within the coolant container 14 is quickly reduced towardsatmospheric pressure through the opening 32. The coolant such as Freon12 will boil causing the structure of the inner container 14, theclosure 21 and therefore the beverage 19 to be cooled. It should benoted that the rate of cooling may be controlled by the relationship ofthe size of the head of the tank 26 and the size of the opening 32.These just mentioned parameters are selected so that the beverage isuniformly cooled as quickly as possible without degrading the flavor. Asthe beverage 19 is cooled it will settle towards the closure 15, thecontainer being then inverted, and the resulting convection current ofthe beverage will help provide uniform cooling. Also, since the lowerportion of the stem 24 will retain the coolant longest, the portion ofthe beverage near the closure 15, which will be consumed first will becooled first. Further, the beverage adjacent to the expanded portion 23of the closure 21 which will be consumed last will tend to be maintainedcooler longer due to this larger heat transfer area.

The container 10 may be utilized as a self heating device by the simpleexpedient of using a heat producing substance instead of a refrigerantin the tank 26 of the inner container 14. In the heating application amixture of phosphorus and magnesium filings for example may be loadedand sealed into the unit 14 in such a manner as to form an inertenvironment. Shortly before the food is to be served the user may ventthe unit 14 by means of the pull-tab arrangement 31 allowing air tooxidize the phosphorus which in turn ignites the magnesium. The heat.produced by the burning of this mixture is transferred through the tank26, the conductive adhesive 33 and the closure 21 in a manner similar tothat described previously for the cooling application. The amount ofheat generating compound which is loaded into the unit 14 is selected soas to heat the food contained in the unit 12 to a desired temperature.

Referring to FIGS. 13 through 17, another embodiment of theself-refrigerating and heating container of this invention isillustrated. Again, container 10" comprises beverage outer container 12"and coolant inner container 14'.

Referring principally to FIG. 15, which is a longitudinal sectionthrough container 10'', the beverage unit comprises can body 34 which isa conventional, commercially available lock seam can body. At the bottomof FIG. 15, which is the topof con-tainer 10", closure 36 is sealed tothe end of the body. Closure 36 is provided with a conventional pop-topopener 38. Bottom closure 40 is secured to body 34 by means of lock seam42. In view of the fact that the bottom closure 40 is of a specialconfiguration, it may be preferable that the bottom closure be firstsealed onto the can body, followed by the can being filled and sealed byadding the closure 36. In either event, one of the closures is securedto the body, the can is filled with its food material and the other endis sealed.

Bottom closure 40 has a conical portion 44 which provides a beveragespace 46 between the bottom closure and the can body. Beyond the conicalportion 414 is a cylindrical portion 48 which is integral throughtransition portion 50 to a cylindrical portion 52. The

1. A container comprising: a. a first elongated hollow body having firstand second ends; b. a first closure having first and second ends, aportion of said closure having a conical shape and a portion of saidclosure having a cylindrical shape, said first closure being locatedwithin and extending substantially the length of said first hollow body,the first end of said first closure being connected to the first end ofsaid hollow body; c. a second hollow body having first and second ends,a portion of said second hollow body having a conical shape and aportion having a cylindrical shape, said portions of said second hollowbody being disposed within said first closure, and substantiallyparallel and slightly spaced from said portions of said first closure;d. a second closure connected to said first end of said second hollowbody and said second end of said second hollow body being closed; e. athird closure connected to said second end of said first hollow body;and f. means connected to said first closure for retaining said secondhollow body within said first closure in either of two positions whileinsuring the slight spacing therebetween.
 2. A container as claimed inclaim 1 wherein said means for retaining said second hollow bodyincludes a set of projections extending between said first closure andsaid second hollow body, said set comprising at least two projectionsspaced from one another in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axisof said first elongated body; in said first position one projection isadapted to engage a corresponding recess in the second hollow body andthe other projection is adapted to contact said second end of saidsecond hollow body which in said second position said other projectionis adapted to engage said recess.
 3. A container as claimed in claim 2wherein said set of projections includes four projections, a first pairof projections spaced from the second pair of projections in a directionparallel to the longitudinal axis of said first elongated body, eachprojection of a pair oppositely disposed from the other projection ofthe pair, when said second hollow body is in said first position saidfirst pair of projections engages an annuLar groove in the second hollowbody while the second pair of projections abut said second end of saidsecond hollow body and when said second hollow body is in said secondposition said second pair of projections engages said annular groove. 4.A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first closure has saidconical shape adjacent its first end and said cylindrical shape adjacentits second end.
 5. A container as claimed in claim 1 including means forcommunicating the interior of said second hollow body and theenvironment about said first hollow body.
 6. A container as claimed inclaim 5 wherein said communicating means comprises: a. a tubular bodyhaving a plurality of longitudinally disposed ribs spaced about thecircumference of the interior of said body; b. a frangible diaphramconnected to said tubular body for covering the interior openingthereof; c. a tubular plunger adapted to slidably engage the interior ofsaid tubular body, said plunger having one closed end, one open end, anda laterally extending aperture of predetermined size through the plungerwall, said plunger being movable from a first position wherein saidclosed end is adjacent said frangible diaphram to a second positionwherein said closed end has broken said diaphram and is located withinsaid tubular body so that said aperture communicates the interior ofsaid second hollow body and the open end of said plunger.
 7. A containeras claimed in claim 6 including said means for retaining said secondhollow body includes a set of projections extending between said firstclosure and said second hollow body, said set comprising fourprojections, a first pair of projections spaced from the second pair ofprojections in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidfirst elongated body, each projection of a pair oppositely disposed fromthe other projection of the pair, when said second hollow body is insaid first position said first pair of projections engages an annulargroove in the second hollow body while the second pair of projectionsabut said second end of said second hollow body and when said secondhollow body is in said second position said second pair of projectionsengages said annular grove; and wherein said first closure has saidconical shape adjacent its first end and said cylindrical shape adjacentits second end.
 8. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said firstclosure and said first hollow body are integral.
 9. A container forcooperating with another container for changing the temperature of thecontent of said second mentioned container comprising: a. An elongatedhollow body having first and second ends, a portion of said hollow bodyadjacent said first end having a conical shape and a portion adjacentsaid second end having a cylindrical shape; b. A first closure connectedto said first end of said hollow body; c. A second closure connected tosaid second end of said hollow body; and d. A valve assembly connectedto said second closure.
 10. A container as claimed in claim 9 whereinsaid second closure has an annular shape, said valve assembly ispositioned in the center of said second closure and said second closurehas a ring shaped recess for receiving a toroidal shaped chemical tabletwhich will, when contacted by the content of the hollow body, react togenerate heat.
 11. A container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said valveassembly comprises: a. a tubular body having a plurality oflongitudinally disposed ribs spaced about the circumference of theinterior of said body; b. a frangible diaphram connected to said tubularbody for covering the interior opening thereof; c. a tubular plungeradapted to slidably engage the interior of said tubular body, saidplunger having one closed end, one open end, and a laterally extendingaperture of predetermined size through the plunger wall, said plungerbeing movable from a first position wherein said closed end is adjacentsaid frangible diAphram to a second position wherein said closed end hasbroken said diaphram and is located within said tubular body so thatsaid aperture communicates the interior of said hollow body and the openend of said plunger.
 12. A container as claimed in claim 11 including aseal disposed about the tubular plunger and positioned to sandwich saidfrangible diaphram between itself and the end of said tubular body; anda flange about said closed end of said tubular plunger, said flangebeing positioned between said seal and said diaphram when said plungeris in its first position.
 13. A self-refrigerating container comprising:a body adapted to contain a quantity of beverage, said body having aside structure; a first closure connected to a first end of said sidestructure with said first closure being so shaped that the surface ofsaid first closure forms an enclosure within said side structure; asecond closure adapted for sealing a second end of said side structure;a coolant body adapted to contain a quantity of a coolant; a thirdclosure sealed to said coolant body and including means for venting saidcoolant body, the seal between said third closure and said coolant bodybeing formed by rolling the upper edge of the coolant body and theperipheral portion of said third closure inwardly of the third closure,said coolant body being adapted to mount within said closure formed bysaid first closure, the shape of the surface of said coolant bodyconforming closely to the shape of the surface of said first closurewhereby said surfaces thereof are in tight heat-conductive engagementthroughout substantially their areas.
 14. The self-refrigeratingcontainer of claim 13 wherein said side structure is a cylinder and saidcylinder is sealed to said first closure by a rim formed by rolling theupper edge of the first closure and the peripheral edge of the first endof the cylinder outwardly of the cylinder, and said coolant body ismounted to the first closure by means of a heat conductive adhesivematerial.
 15. A self-refrigerating container comprising: a body adaptedfor containing a quantity of a beverage, said body having acylindrically shaped side structure with a first closure member of aconcave shape formed in a first end of said side structure so as to forman enclosure within said side structure, and a second closure adaptedfor sealing a second end of said side structure; a coolant body chargedwith a quantity of coolant under pressure, said coolant body having aconcave shape of slightly less dimension than the enclosure formed bysaid first closure, a third closure sealed to said coolant body, andmeans formed in said third closure for venting said coolant body; andmeans for bonding said coolant body to said first closure member, saidbonding means including a thermal conductive substance disposed betweenthe coolant body and the first closure.
 16. A container for cooperatingwith another container for changing the temperature of the content ofsaid second mentioned container comprising: a. An elongated hollow bodyhaving first and second ends, a first portion of said hollow bodyadjacent said first end having a cylindrical shape, a second portionadjacent said second end having a cylindrical shape, a third portion ofsaid hollow body positioned adjacent said second cylindrical portionhaving a cylindrical shape, said third cylindrical portion having alarger diameter than said second cylindrical portion, and a fourthportion of said hollow body having a conical shape, said fourth conicalportion being positioned between said first cylindrical portion and saidfirst end of said hollow body; and b. A first closure connected to saidfirst end of said hollow body.
 17. A container for cooperating withanother container for changing the temperature of the content of saidsecond mentioned container comprising: a. An elongated hollow bodyhaving first and second ends, a portion of said hollOw body adjacentsaid first end having a conical shape and a portion adjacent said secondend having a cylindrical shape; and b. A first closure connected by alock seam to said first end of said hollow body.
 18. A container forcooperating another container for changing the temperature of thecontent of said second mentioned container comprising: a. An elongatedhollow body having first and second ends, a portion of said hollow bodyadjacent said first end having a conical shape and a portion adjacentsaid second end having a cylindrical shape, said second end of saidhollow body having an annular recess therein; and b. A first closureconnected to said first end of said hollow body.
 19. A container forcooperating with another container for changing the temperature of thecontent of said second mentioned container comprising: a. An elongatedhollow body having first and second ends, a portion of said hollow bodyadjacent said first end having a conical shape and a portion adjacentsaid second end having a cylindrical shape; b. A first closure connectedto said first end of said hollow body; c. A second closure connected tosaid second end of said hollow body, said second closure having anopening; d. A flexible bag disposed within said hollow body andconnected to said hollow body at said second end; and e. An elongatedrod slidably disposed within said bag and through said opening in saidsecond closure whereby said rod is selectively movable to rupture saidbag.
 20. A container for cooperating with another container for changingthe temperature of the content of said second mentioned containercomprising: a. An elongated hollow body having first and second ends, aportion of said hollow body adjacent said first end having a conicalshape and a portion adjacent said second end having a cylindrical shape;b. A first closure connected to said first end of said body; c. A secondclosure connected to said second end of said hollow body; and d. A valveassembly comprising two openings in said first closure, and an elongatedflexible tab having two openings adjacent one end thereof correspondingto the two openings in the closure, and a resilient elongated tubehaving two ends, one of said ends disposed in one set of correspondingopenings in the tab and the closure and the other of said ends disposedin the other set of corresponding openings in the tab and the closurewhereby pulling said tab removes the tube ends from the opening in thefirst closure.
 21. A container having means for selectively changing thetemperature of the content of the container comprising: a. A firstelongated hollow body having first and second ends; b. A first closurehaving first and second ends and having a cylindrical portion and atransversely extending annular portion, said cylindrical portion forminga male threaded connector section, said first end of said closure beingconnected to said first end of said first hollow body, said firstclosure extending into sad first hollow body; c. A second elongatedhollow body having first and second ends positioned within said firstelongated body, a portion of said second hollow body adjacent said firstend having a cylindrical shape, said portion forming a female threadedconnector section, a portion adjacent said second end having acylindrical shape and a portion between said first and second mentionedportions having a conical shape, said male and female threaded sectionsbeing in threaded engagement, said second elongated hollow bodyextending substantially the length of said first elongated hollow body;d. A valve assembly for selectively communicating the interior of saidsecond elongated hollow body and the environment about said first hollowbody, said valve assembly connected to the second end of said closure;e. A second closure connected to the second end of said second hollowbody forming a first sealed enclosure; f. A third closure connected tothe second end of said first hollow body forming a second sealedenclosure; g. Means for having a temperature to be changed disposedwithin said second enclosure; and h. Means for changing the temperatureof said second enclosure disposed within said first enclosure.
 22. Atemperature regulating food container comprising: shaped; a body adaptedfor container a quantity of a food, said body having a side structure,said side structure being cylindrically shaped; a first closure having agenerally conical configuration extending within said side structuresubstantially the entire length of said side structure and connected toa first end of said side structure, the surface of the first closureforming an enclosure within said side structure; a second closureadapted for sealing a second end of said side structure; a heat exchangebody having a generally conical configuration, said heat exchange bodybeing adapted to contain a quantity of a specific substance; a thirdclosure sealed to said heat exchange body; and means formed in saidthird closure for venting said heat exchange body, said heat exchangebody being adapted for mounting within said enclosure formed by saidfirst closure, so that the surface of said heat exchange body is inengagement with the surface of said first closure.
 23. Aself-refrigerating container comprising: a body adapted to contain aquantity of a beverage, said body having a side structure; a firstclosure connected to a first end of said side structure with said firstclosure being so shaped that the surface of said first closure forms anenclosure within said side structure; a second closure adapted forsealing a second end of said side structure; a coolant body adapted tocontain a quantity of a coolant, said coolant body being mounted to saidfirst closure by means of an adhesive material disposed between saidcoolant body and said first closure; and a third closure sealed to saidcoolant body and including means for venting said coolant body, saidcoolant body being adapted to mount within said closure formed by saidfirst closure, the shape of the surface of said coolant body conformingclosely to the shape of the surface of said first closure, whereby saidsurfaces thereof are in tight heat-conductive engagement throughoutsubstantially their entire areas.